


A lesson in unicorns

by Trickyni



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28213611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trickyni/pseuds/Trickyni





	A lesson in unicorns

The dreaded Wednesday morning has arrived. 

Ange woke up from her nest of books about magical beasts and their history, hair messy and glasses crooked. 

She wiped the drool off her cheek and eyed the clock. Not a lot of time till class. 

Ange yawned and stretched, scanning around for her hairbrush. Rush and pressure were slowly replacing her early-morning drowsiness. 

"A̷̵̧͢n̛͘g̵̸̷͟e̡͘ ye coming?” A boy’s voice called for her. “I wanna go eat breakfast!”

“Go without me, I’ll be right there!” Ange called back, still spinning around the room in circles looking for everything she needs.

The boy, Mitchel, shrugged and went out the door. Ange sighed. “One day at a time” she recited, trying to collect some motivation for the day to come.

With her hair brushed, now soft and fluffy, her face clean and her black cape and robes on, Ange waddled up to the mirror to check her look, just quickly enough to make sure she was looking proper, but not long enough to actually get a proper look.

“One day at a time” she muttered.

After making sure everything was ready, she quickly pranced downstairs, her stomach already growling. 

“A̷̵̧͢n̛͘g̵̸̷͟e̡͘, you’re late!” Mitchell called between bites full of sandwich. “Class is starting in 10 minutes!”  
Ange kept her best blank expression on and went to get some food. Coffee and some toast with jam was all she needed, but she wolfed down the meager dish with vigor.

“Hey, slow down A̷̵̧͢n̛͘g̵̸̷͟e̡͘ I said 10 minutes, not 10 seconds!”

Ange, who by this time managed to burn her tongue on her coffee twice, didn’t really listen.

“You ok mate?” 

Ange nodded. “Just stress, no worries”

“If you say so...” Mitchel shrugged and kept eating his sandwich. Or wasn’t this a new one?

“Gather ‘round and follow me!” Prof. Hagrid, the magical beasts caretaking teacher thundered with his deep, loud voice. “And let’s go visit the unicorn!”

Ange lumbered behind while everyone else walked quickly and chattered excitedly. She loved unicorns, probably more deeply than most people out there, but to actually meet one? 

Ange stumbled on a rock and almost fell, lost in grey cloudy thoughts. Hitting the rock brought her back to reality for a moment, and she used that moment to distract herself with thoughts about sweet compensations she’ll reward herself with for getting through the day.

“Boys might wanna keep a step or two back, girls can come up, but slowly!” Prof. Hagrid instructed. A deep, heavier-than-lead stone leaned against Ange’s heart as she stopped alongside the boys.

“Ice cream. Think about the ice-cream!” She murmured, forcing her best poker-face on and trying her best not to shed any tears.

High-pitched squeals of delight came from the girls upon seeing the majestic creature for the first time.

“They prefer women!” Prof. Hagrid announced. “And they might be a lil aggressive with men. Ladies! You may try reaching your hand to him, but not all at once! They’re shy and get scared easily. Let him approach you”

Amy, a short, chubby girl, reached her hand to the unicorn, and the unicorn slowly approached and touched her hand with its nose. 

From the noise, Amy seemed to have positively melted with joy. Ange, burning with jealousy, tried to ignore it all as best she could.  
“But I should take a peek, shouldn’t I?” Ange thought to herself. “I’ve always loved unicorns so much…”

Her heart still stabbing with shards of ice, Ange stood on the tip of her toes, doing her best to peek from behind the shoulders of the girls huddled near the fence.

And then, she saw a glimpse. Glistening white, purer than pure, hair that looks like it’s made from strands of pearl. Ange’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized that such dreamlike beauty can exist outside of pure fiction.

“Stand back now, it wants some space!” Prof. Hagrid called, awakening Ange from her dreaminess. Is something going on? 

As the girls at the front parted, Ange could clearly see the unicorn, and it was approaching. Such a gentle creature, so unlike horses in the way it walks, it’s poise…

Ange’s musing was broken for the second time, and she very quickly came to realize that the unicorn was indeed approaching, and was now standing just a few centimeters away from her.

“A̷̵̧͢n̛͘g̵̸̷͟e̡͘ Prof. Hagrid spoke softly, his voice full of concern. “No sharp movements, calm and gentle”

Ange reached her hand. Soft and gentle, just the way she always wants to be. The unicorn reached with its nose and nudged Ange in the chest, pushing her until she fell into seating on the ground. The yard was silent but the wind.

Ange, centimeters away from the creature of her dreams, felt completely calm. The push didn’t hurt, and the unicorn didn’t feel threatening in the slightest. 

Ange reached her hand again. The unicorn booped it with his nose.

“I’m a girl after all…” She muttered, enchanted. 

The unicorn crouched, sat next to Ange, and rested it’s head in her lap.

“I’m…” Tears began rolling down her cheeks.

Gasps and murmurs surrounded the two, but Ange was in her own little magical world, just her and the fantastic creature in her lap, giving her courage, and power, and peace.

“A̷̵̧͢n̛͘g̵̸̷͟e̡͘ Prof. Hagrid said quietly, so in awe of what might have been the rarest sight in centuries. 

The unicorn licked Ange’s arm, and bright light filled her heart. Courage. Resolution.

“Ange…” Ange said slowly and quietly. “My name is Ange.”


End file.
